24. Blogfolio

1. Intro Video:
     Doing an intro video can be a very useful tool in the classroom because it is a great way for students and parents to see who the teacher is and what kind of person he or she is.  I liked the assignment because it was a great icebreaker for some of us to work together and record each other while being silly and getting the work done.  The intro video could be a great use to record students, with parent's permission, and have the class watch them to learn about one another.  This assignment met the Communication and Collaboration standard because students used the video to be able to communicate with others.

2. Concept Map:
     The concept map is a great way to break down difficult concepts into simple small chunks.  I liked this assignment because it showed me how much different information can be in one topic.  The concept map can be easily used in a normal or sped classroom.  The teacher would just have to break down the information more and more based on the student's ability to understand.  This assignment met Technology Operations and Concepts and Research and Information Fluency standards because students used a program to create the concept map and had to do research on the topic.

3. Web Site:
     Such as the intro video, a teacher website is a great way for students and parents to find out about a teacher and what is going on in the classroom.  I liked this assignment because I was able to talk about myself without having to record a video and it felt much more personal with me writing instead of speaking.  The website can be used anywhere and not just a classroom setting so anyone that wants to read about the teacher and what is happening in the classroom can do so from the comfort of their home.  This assignment met the Communication and Collaboration and Technology Operations and Concepts standards because students used the website to communicate and they used technological tools to build the website.

4. Voki:
     The Voki Avatar could be used as another way to introduce oneself to the class.  Personally, I did not care too much for this activity because it felt rather clunky and I did not care for the automated computer voice options that were given.  The Voki could easily be used in a classroom and students could create their own to interact with each other.  This assignment met the Communication and Collaboration and Technology Operations and Concepts standards because students can use the Voki to communicate and each person has to design it on his or her own.

5. Extranormal:
     The Extranormal video is a great way to create scenarios about what to do and not to do.  I really had fun with this assignment because it was easy to use and it was free, for a video or two.  This could be easily used in any classroom to show the rules of the class and the consequences if the rules are broken.This assignment met the Communication and Collaboration, Technology Operations and Concepts and Digital Citizenship standards because the video is used to communicate the rules of a classroom, or anything, and the person has to create it from scratch.

6. Turnitin Paper:
     Turnitin.com is a fantastic tool that every teacher should utilize in his or her classroom.  I liked this assignment because it shows that teachers have a great way to catch if a student cheated on his or her papers.  I do not believe that this could be used in the lower grades or in a sped classroom because the students do not write many papers in those classes.  This assignment met the Research and Information Fluency, Technology Operations and Concepts and Digital Citizenship because to do a report you have to research the information.  Also students need to know that turnitin.com searches the internet for the same material to see if it is plagiarized and it shows if a student is being dishonest or if they need to correct some of his or her paper to not be plagiarized.

7. TED Videos:
     The TED videos are a great way for teachers to share his or her own thoughts about anything that goes on in a class.  There are some very inspirational videos about what teachers are and should be doing in a classroom environment.  I liked this assignment because it showed me different perspectives of other teachers from around the world.  I just loved the video of John Hunter and the game, The World Peace Game: he created to grab his student's attention.  The videos can be shown in any classroom because it can show students new ways of thinking and new games to play to build their knowledge.  This assignment meets the Communication and Collaboration and Creativity and Innovation standards because the videos are of teachers sharing their amazing ideas that they have learned or created over the years of working with children.